Developments in the Late 20th and Early 21st Centuries
While the Jewish community of the Upper Miami Valley was contracting by the late 1960s, newer arrivals did occasionally join Anshe Emeth. These individuals have included Charles and Mildred Bader, Mike and Judy Feinstein, Eugene and Judy Horowitz, Eileen Litchfield, and Patty and Steven Wyke. Additionally, some older families, such as the Kastners and Shuchats continued to be active with Anshe Emeth. One member of the Shuchat family, Steve, serves as president of Congregation Anshe Emeth in 2021. Despite the occasional arrival of new Jewish residents, by the year 2000, the number of member families at Anshe Emeth had fallen to 26. In 2021, this number had contracted to 20. Lay leaders have continued to play an important part in congregational life. For decades Judy Feinstein was active in organizing the Anshe Emeth religious school, which continued to function well into the 21st century. Professionally, Judy worked as an elementary school teacher, and this background in education informed how she organized the Sunday School. Herman Barr assisted by teaching bar mitzvah students. Herman also led religious services for years, including periods when Anshe Emeth had too few active members to support a student rabbi. During a stretch of the 1970s, just five people were attending a typical Friday night service at Anshe Emeth. For a time, discussions were had about closing the synagogue. Two Anshe Emeth leaders, Barbara Freed-Bollenbacher and Max Rose worked to increase membership by conducting individual outreach to Jewish families living in Darke County, Piqua, and Sidney. Anshe Emeth also benefited from a partnership with Temple Israel in Dayton whereby each congregation shared the proceeds from bingo nights. Through this outreach and fundraising, the financial outlook of Anshe Emeth improved, and by the mid-1980s the congregation was again able to secure the services of visiting student rabbis. These students visited once a month and on major Jewish holidays. The first student rabbi following the hiatus was named Sue Levi Elwell. Sue was also the first female rabbi at Anshe Emeth.
Barbara, who converted to Judaism prior to her marriage to Fred Freed in 1972, continued to maintain an active role in Anshe Emeth for many years. From 1982 to 1985 she served as the congregation’s first female president. Max Rose, who owned a furniture store in Sidney since 1946, was active in the Lions Club in addition to his work within the local Jewish community. He was married to Helen. From 1986 to 1994, Mike Feinstein served as Anshe Emeth’s president. Mike, who ran a dental practice in Troy for many years, continues to lead some religious services at the congregation along with rabbinic students from Hebrew Union College. During the presidency of Barbara and Mike, Anshe Emeth supported a youth group that organized events such as sleepovers and Israeli cultural programs. Some members of the youth group came from Springfield and Yellow Springs. In 1982, Anshe Emeth celebrated its first bar mitzvah in many years when Daniel Feinstein reached the age of 13. Eileen Litchfield is also among Anshe Emeth’s most active contemporary lay leaders. From 2000 to 2018 she served as the congregational president. Since 2018 she has been Anshe Emeth’s vice president. She is also active as a member of the Darke County Foundation Board of Trustees and the Darke County Historical Society. From 1990 to 2009 she also served on the Greenville City Schools Board of Education.
As of July 2021, the last bar mitzvah held at Anshe Emeth occurred in 2016, and the last bas mitzvah in 2018. Five children were included within the congregation in 2015. In recent decades Anshe Emeth has also welcomed a number of converts to Judaism. The last conversion took place in 2016. Members of Anshe Emeth continue to be drawn from a wide area including Darke, Miami and Shelby counties. Until 2017 the Anshe Emeth Sunday School met twice a month. From 2010 to 2017 Susan Bargemann assisted Judy in organizing the school. Like Judy, Susan was a teacher. Activities for Sunday school students included Bible plays, field trips, and a pen pal program with Hillel Academy, a Jewish school in Dayton. Chabad of Greater Dayton also partnered with the Anshe Emeth Sunday School on several occasions. Anshe Emeth continues several annual congregational traditions. These include a picnic, Purim play and Hanukkah latke making party. A highlight of the Hanukkah celebrations is the display of menorahs in the windows of Anshe Emeth. During December Barbara Freed-Bollenbacher also loans her menorah collection to the Piqua Public Library for display. Anshe Emeth continues to welcome student rabbis from Hebrew Union College. Among those who have ministered at Anshe Emeth is Alysa Stanton, who in 2009 became the first African-American female rabbi to be ordained. Alysa, who worked as a psychotherapist specializing in grief and loss prior to starting her studies at Hebrew Union College, interned at Anshe Emeth in 2008 and 2009.
Members of Anshe Emeth in recent years have come together to support the needs of their historic building, which will mark its centenary in 2023. A 2011 article in The Dayton Jewish Observer spoke about some of these maintenance concerns, including a leaky roof which was ultimately repaired at a cost of $16,000. The Piqua Foundation has also supported Anshe Emeth through grants. In recent years some non-Jews have begun to participate in Anshe Emeth. These individuals include Noahides who, while not converts to Judaism, accept many elements of the Jewish faith. Non-Jews also support the Jewish community of the Upper Miami Valley in other ways. For example, in 2018 following the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh many non-Jews attended a Friday night Shabbat service at Anshe Emeth including the mayor of Piqua, the minister of Westminster Presbyterian Church, and the Piqua police chief. Anshe Emeth programs such as “A Taste of Judaism” also engage non-Jews. With its various programs and members, Anshe Emeth continues to serve as a unique center for Jewish life in the Upper Miami Valley.